Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study

Objectives To examine associations between shift work characteristics and schedules on burnout in police and whether sleep duration and sleepiness were associated with burnout.Methods Police officers (n=3140) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal...

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Main Authors: Scott A Peterson, Alexander P Wolkow, Steven W Lockley, Conor S O'Brien, Salim Qadri, Jason P Sullivan, Charles A Czeisler, Laura K Barger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-11-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e030302.full
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author Scott A Peterson
Alexander P Wolkow
Steven W Lockley
Conor S O'Brien
Salim Qadri
Jason P Sullivan
Charles A Czeisler
Laura K Barger
author_facet Scott A Peterson
Alexander P Wolkow
Steven W Lockley
Conor S O'Brien
Salim Qadri
Jason P Sullivan
Charles A Czeisler
Laura K Barger
author_sort Scott A Peterson
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To examine associations between shift work characteristics and schedules on burnout in police and whether sleep duration and sleepiness were associated with burnout.Methods Police officers (n=3140) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment) and self-reported shift schedules (irregular, rotating, fixed), shift characteristics (night, duration, frequency, work hours), sleep duration and sleepiness.Results Irregular schedules, long shifts (≥11 hours), mandatory overtime, short sleep and sleepiness were associated with increased risk of overall burnout in police. Police working a greater frequency of long shifts were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (adjusted OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.72) than those not working long shifts. Night shifts were associated with depersonalisation (1.32, 1.05 to 1.66) compared with not working nights. Police working mandatory overtime had increased risk of emotional exhaustion (1.37, 1.14 to 1.65) than those who did not. Compared with fixed schedules, irregular schedules were associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation (1.91, 1.44 to 2.54 and 1.39, 1.02 to 1.89, respectively). Police sleeping <6 hours were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (1.60, 1.33 to 1.93) than those sleeping longer, and excessive sleepiness was associated with emotional exhaustion (1.81, 1.50 to 2.18).Conclusions Irregular schedules and increased night shifts, sleep disturbances and work hours were related to higher burnout risk in police. Future research should evaluate work schedules in law enforcement that optimise shift duration and frequency, and increase consistency in scheduling and control over work hours to limit burnout in police.
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spelling doaj-art-a15eafadedd7437e86b3feec50d0be682024-11-29T17:30:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-11-0191110.1136/bmjopen-2019-030302Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional studyScott A Peterson0Alexander P Wolkow1Steven W Lockley2Conor S O'Brien3Salim Qadri4Jason P Sullivan5Charles A Czeisler6Laura K Barger71 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, AustraliaTurner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia1 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia1 Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Boston, Massachusetts, USADivision of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA3 Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USADivision of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Boston, MA, USADivision of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Boston, MA, USAObjectives To examine associations between shift work characteristics and schedules on burnout in police and whether sleep duration and sleepiness were associated with burnout.Methods Police officers (n=3140) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment) and self-reported shift schedules (irregular, rotating, fixed), shift characteristics (night, duration, frequency, work hours), sleep duration and sleepiness.Results Irregular schedules, long shifts (≥11 hours), mandatory overtime, short sleep and sleepiness were associated with increased risk of overall burnout in police. Police working a greater frequency of long shifts were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (adjusted OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.72) than those not working long shifts. Night shifts were associated with depersonalisation (1.32, 1.05 to 1.66) compared with not working nights. Police working mandatory overtime had increased risk of emotional exhaustion (1.37, 1.14 to 1.65) than those who did not. Compared with fixed schedules, irregular schedules were associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation (1.91, 1.44 to 2.54 and 1.39, 1.02 to 1.89, respectively). Police sleeping <6 hours were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (1.60, 1.33 to 1.93) than those sleeping longer, and excessive sleepiness was associated with emotional exhaustion (1.81, 1.50 to 2.18).Conclusions Irregular schedules and increased night shifts, sleep disturbances and work hours were related to higher burnout risk in police. Future research should evaluate work schedules in law enforcement that optimise shift duration and frequency, and increase consistency in scheduling and control over work hours to limit burnout in police.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e030302.full
spellingShingle Scott A Peterson
Alexander P Wolkow
Steven W Lockley
Conor S O'Brien
Salim Qadri
Jason P Sullivan
Charles A Czeisler
Laura K Barger
Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
BMJ Open
title Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
title_full Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
title_short Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
title_sort associations between shift work characteristics shift work schedules sleep and burnout in north american police officers a cross sectional study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e030302.full
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